As a vehicle is being driven, there is certain information that the driver may require or desire to see while driving. The advancement of technology and consumer demands have resulted in more information being readily displayed on the instrument panel of the vehicle, which has further resulted in the instrument panel area of the vehicle interior cabin becoming cluttered with a variety of information displays. Therefore, the driver of the vehicle may confuse one display with another or may fail to notice a particular display because of this clutter and the limited time the driver has to glance at the displays. The time in which it takes for the driver to look downward to read one or more alphanumerical displays is critical since this corresponds to time that the driver is not looking forward toward where the vehicle is being driven. Concerns such as these are particularly critical for alpha numerical displays, such as digital speedometer displays, compass displays, and the like, where numbers and/or text are displayed to the driver, and which require a longer period of time for the driver to recognize and comprehend the display than glancing at a simple symbol or the like.
An interior rearview mirror is another appropriate location for placing information displays, since looking at the interior rearview mirror is an important part of driving a vehicle. Samples of rearview mirrors incorporating information displays are disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,416,313, issued to Larson et al., which describes a compass display incorporated into a mirror reflector, and which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. However, incorporation of a display within the mirror reflector of the rearview mirror requires that the mirror reflective area be reduced to provide room for the display, thereby decreasing the field of vision of the driver rearwardly of the vehicle. Consequently, other displays have been placed on the mirror case chin or eyebrow, so as to avoid reducing the size of the mirror reflective surface. An example is shown in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. Des. 391, 214, issued to Hook et al., which shows a display positioned adjacent the lower edge of the interior mirror case, and which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. However, the use of such displays may substantially increase the size of the mirror case itself, thereby potentially restricting the driver's forward field of view.
Another concern with displays being positioned on the instrument panel or on or around the rearview mirror is that it is difficult for a driver's eyes to adjust quickly to focus on the displays, as they are in close proximity to the driver relative to the forward viewing through the windshield. When these displays are positioned in close proximity to the driver, the driver's eyes have to adjust from a long focal length, when looking forward in the direction of travel or rearward via the rear view mirror, to a short focal length as the driver looks at the instrument panel or the rear view mirror or mirror housing. This not only requires additional time for the eyes to adjust, but also may become annoying to the driver as this process may be repeated multiple times during even a short trip.
In an effort to remove certain displays from the instrument panel and further make them easier for the driver of the vehicle to see and recognize them, heads up displays and other forward projecting displays have been implemented to project a virtual image display that the driver may easily glance at to read the information being communicated thereby. However, while providing the driver with the information in an optically beneficial manner, these displays may interfere with the forward field of view of the driver as the vehicle is driven down the road and are also much more costly to manufacture and implement than conventional displays positioned within the vehicle cabin area.
Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide a display in a manner that maximizes both forward and rearward fields of view, and that is economical and commercially attractive to implement. The display must be positioned in an area where a driver may quickly and easily glance at the display to read the information being communicated thereby.